Burglar-alarm



J. WORDEN &"E.I-I. SPACE.

BURGLAR ALARM.

No. 8,699. Patented Jan. 217', 1852.

THE Noam: PEIEns co, FHDTD-LITHO WASHINGTON. u. c.

UNI ED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

L. J. 'woRDEN AND an. SPACE, or CLINTON, NEW YORK.

BURGLAR-ALARM.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 8,699, dated January 27, 1852.

To all whom it may concern: j 1 Be it known that we, L. J. Wonouia andE. H. SPACE, of, Clinton, in the county of Oneida and State of New York,have invented a newand improved instrument for sounding an alarm when adoor or window is opened, said instrument being attached to the casingof the same, and which 1nstru-.

ment we term a burglarealarm; and we do hereby declare that thefollowing is a full, clear, and exact descriptionof the construction andoperation of the same, reference being had to the annexed drawings,making a part of this specification, in which Figure 1 is a frontelevation of the instrument attached to the casing of a door, the

front side of the box which contains the movement being removed. Fig. 2is a side elevation of ditto, the side of the box being removed so thatthe movement may be seen. Fig. 3 is a side elevation, the side oppositeto that shown in Fig. 2, the side of the box is not, removed, theobjectof the drawing being to show the manner in which the button on the dooracts upon the cam attached to the lever. Fig. 4 is a plan or birds eyeview of the cam, lever, catch, scape wheel, and pallets, the object ofthe drawing being to show the manner in which the lever is secured bythe catch. In this drawing the lever is free from the catch. Fig. 5 is aplan or birds eye view of a portion of the lever and catch, the leverbeing secured by the catch. Similar letters of reference indicatecorresponding parts in each of the several figures.

The nature ofour invention. consists in securing the lever that actsupon the pallets in such a manner that when the lever is thrown up by.the openingof the door or window, to the casing of which the instrumentis attached, and the pallets left free to be acted upon by the scapewheel, the lever will be secured by a catch when thrown up. The objectof this is to prevent burglars after entering a door or window to stopthe alarm which they cause to be sounded upon opening the door orwindow. This they can not do as the catch prevents the lever from beingthrown down or depressed, and the alarm will consequently sound untilthe spring which operates the scape wheel is unwound particularly todescribe its construction and operation.

, A, Figs. 1, 2 and 3, is arectangular box which is permanently securedto the casing B of the door C. See Fig. .1. In the interior of this boxis affixed a portion of an ordinary clock movement consisting of a scapewheel D, ratchet E, pallets F, F, with crutch G attached, and a springH. See Figs. 1 and 2. The scape wheel D is placed loosely on the shaft(a) which has its bearings in the two plates (6 3)), see Fig. 2, thefront plate being omitted in Fig. 1. The ratchet E, issecured or keyedon the shaft (0,). The spring H is coiled around the shaft (at) itsinner end being attached to the shaft and its outer end secured to thebrace (c). See Fig. l. The outer end of the shaft (a) is squared so thata winding key may operate upon it. Now it will be seen that the shaft(a) may be turned from left to right and the spring wound up, and whenthe spring acts upon the shaft (a) the shaft will turn from right toleft and one of the teeth of the ratchet E, will act upon the click (d)and turn the scape wheel D, the teeth of which act alternately upon thepallets F, F, which are hung on an axis (6). The pallets actedalternately upon by the scape wheel give a vibratory or oscillatingmotion to the crutch G, which is attached to the axis (6). At the end ofthe crutch is a hammer I, which strikes a bell J, formed of two halfspheres, a sufficient space being between the half spheres to allow thecrutch to vibrate between them. See Fig. 2. In Fig. 1, only one of thehalf spheres is seen, the other being attached to the side of the box A,which is removed. j

K, is a levermore particularly shown in Fig. 1. This lever has itsfulcrum at (f) and the form of the lever should be about as shown. Oneend of the lever projects through a slot in one side of the box A andhas a cam L, upon it, which is more clearly seen in Fig. 3.

(g) isa projection on the lever which acts upon the upper pallet F.

M, is a button attached to the door C, by a screw (h) precisely as shownin Figs. 1 and 3. This button may be turned so as to act upon the cam L,or not, as desired. Now when the cam L, is thrown up, the

projection (g) is thrown down and presses the upper pallet F, firmlybetween the teeth of the scape wheel and prevents its moving.

The lever is shown in this posit-ion in Fig. 1. But when the cam L, isthrown down the pallet F is relieved of the projection and the scapewheel is allowed to act upon them. The dotted lines in Fig. 1, show theposition of the lever and projection when the cam is thrown down. Theupper surface of the cam is inclined somewhat, see Fig. 3,

so that when the door is opened the button' M, will depress it, as thelower end of the button bears against the upper surface of the camthatis, when the button is turned in the proper position, as shown inFig. 1. The object of having the button so that it may be turned either011' or on the cam is, that unnecessary noise may be avoided during theday time when the door is opened by the occupants of the house. Were thebutton stationary and always over the cam the alarm would be soundedevery time the door was opened provided the spring was wound up, but bymerely turning the button in the position as shown by the dotted linesin Fig. l, the button-will not act upon the cam, and the spring may bewound up and the instrument ready, for use, the button being turned overthe camat night.

N, is a bent lever attached to the interior of the boX, Figs. 1 and 2.The fulcrum of the lever is at (i). The extreme end (j) of the lever K,which projects upward, passes over the end (4%) of the lever N, that is,when the cam L, is depressed. Now the end (j) of the lever K, has arecess (0) cut in it which catches over the upper surface of the end (m)of the lever N. This bent lever N, is governed or acted upon by a spring(n) so that when the cam 'L, is depressed by the button H, and the end(j) of the lever K thrown up the end (j) bearing against the end of thelever N, the end (m) will be pressed inward (there being a groove at theback of the box A) till the recess (0) reaches the upper surface of theend of the lever N, and the spring (a) forces the end (m) into therecess (0) and secures the lever K, in the position indicated by thedotted lines in Fig. 1. In Fig. 4, the lever K, is represented notsecured or caught. In Fig. 5, the lever K, is fastened, the end of thelever N being in recess (0) cut in the end of the lever K. When it isdesired to release the lever K, a knob 0 on the end of the lever N, ispressed inward and the end (m) of the lever is thrown out of therecess(0). This will. be readily seen by referring to Fig. 4, the fulcrum 0fthe lever N beingat (i) This knob 0 projects through the side of the boxA, as seen in Fig. 1, and is not very large, so that a burglar could notfind it in the dark before sufficient alarm had been given the occupantsof the house. But in case the instruments become common and well knownthis button may be covered by a door and locked, which would makeassurance doubly sure. 7

The advantages of our instrument overothers that have been employed arethat burglars cannot stop the alarm from sounding after entering thedoor, as the lever which was moved by the button so as to allow thealarm to sound is secured by. the

arrangement as described and cannot be moved back to its originalposition, so as to prevent the alarm from sounding, without pressingupon the knob O, which will. not instantly be found, or the knob may becovered by a slide or door and locked. By employing the button M,we'have this advantage, the door upon being opened will sound the alarmor not, as desired. Much embarrassment is avoided by disconnecting thealarm when it is not necessary to use it, as in the day time or eveningbefore the occupants of a house have retired.

We do not claim the clock movement, as that is a well known and oldinvention. Neither do weclaim the lever K for the purpose of operatingupon the pallet F; but 7 What we do claim as new and desire to secure byLetters Patent, is

: The securing of the lever K, after it has been moved by the button M,so as to allow the pallets F, F, to be acted upon by the scape wheel D,said lever K, being secured by the end of the lever N, fitting in agroove or recess (0) in the end of the lever K, the end being forcedinto the groove or recess (0) by the spring (n) substantially as shownand described.

L. J. woRDENQ E. H. SPACE.

